


Release the Kraken

by nishiki



Series: Thistle and Weeds [13]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Diego Hargreeves-centric, Diego POV, Drowning, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Brother Diego Hargreeves, Kid Ben Hargreeves, Kid Diego Hargreeves, Kid Fic, Kid Klaus Hargreeves, Kid Luther Hargreeves, Kid Number Five|The Boy, Light Angst, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Stuttering Diego Hargreeves, Swimming, Swimming Pools, discovering new powers, swimming lessons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 08:19:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19001956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nishiki/pseuds/nishiki
Summary: When swimming lessons go out of control and little Number Four tries to get Reginald's approval, Number Two discovers a new power.----------Can be read as stand-alone





	Release the Kraken

**August 1997**

 

Swimming lessons were never fun in the Hargreeves’ house. That was just a fact of life at this point. Their father was a tyrant no matter what he was teaching his children. They were only seven years old, almost eight, and some of them had barely learned how to swim as their father demanded already of them to dive to the bottom of the sixteen feet deep diving pool. Needless to say, that was not gonna happen anytime soon. Even at the tender age of seven, Number Two knew that.

Of course, knowing that did not mean that he or Number One would stop trying.

As Number Two got back to the surface this time, he felt dizzy and exhausted. He could dive pretty well already and he was quite good in holding his breath too but this - This was just impossible! Even Number One, as he resurfaced next to him with a heavy gasp, had to admit defeat. Number One never took defeat well as was underlined by the slap he delivered to the innocent water surface next as if it was the fault of the water that he couldn't do what their father demanded.

Number Two expected their father to order them to try again but as he looked around, he noticed that his father’s attention was instead on Number Four. He had always been the weakest link of the seven siblings and swimming was no exception to that.

»Number Four!« Sir Reginald thundered across the swimming hall. »You need to make an effort otherwise you will never push past your limits, Boy!«

Number Four was clearly struggling just swimming to the end of the pool. He had lost his privilege to wear his floaties two days ago and could hardly hold his own in the water now. Even Seven had not such a hard time in the water. Four, on the other hand, seemed almost unable to stay afloat no matter what as if his tummy would be filled with stones.

»Number One, Number Two! Out of the water. You will be trying this again tomorrow!«

There was no arguing with their father and so, after One had climbed out of the pool, Two followed his brother quickly. Their father didn't expect backtalking and he wouldn't take too kindly to it either. To their father, discipline was the most important skill any child had to learn and they all wanted to please.

So, Two quickly grabbed his towel and followed One towards the door that was leading into the locker room. Yet, he stopped at the door and looked back to the pool where Four was still struggling. The rest of their siblings were already done with today’s lesson and probably already upstairs again. It seemed unfair to leave Four behind with their father like this who walked beside the swimming boy, clapping his hands in the rhythm Four should follow.

»Sir?« Two called out to his father and caught One’s surprised glare at him only out of the corner of his eye. Already his brother was reaching out to grab him by the arm to pull him into the locker room.

»What is it, Number Two?«

»What about him, Sir?« Two pointed towards Four. »Isn’t he done too?«

»Your brother is done with his training when I say he is, Number Two. I don't appreciate you sticking your nose where it does not belong!«

»I’m sorry, Sir!« Two quickly muttered as One was giving his arm a pull, forcing him to finally follow. Still, he couldn't do much about the sinking feeling he had leaving Four behind. He had always had a soft spot for his brother.

»You need to stop babying him.« One growled as they went over to their lockers to retrieve their clothes. »It's his own fault if he can’t keep up with the training. Four spends too much time with his head in the clouds!«

»Oh, come on! You know that's not true, he’s trying but he’s just not like us! Is it not our duty to take care of our little siblings?« If he slammed the door of his locker a little harder than strictly necessary after he retrieved his clothes, he certainly didn't mean to. It underlined his message though.

»We are all the same age!«

»You know what I mean.« Two scoffed with a roll of his eyes. »We are stronger than him and therefore we should protect him.«

»Protect him from what? He’s fine. He’s with dad.«

He didn't know what to say to this. Was he fine? Was he safe? He was with their father, just like Number One said. Of course, he was safe with their father, right? Yet, Number Two didn't like leaving Four behind like this with the old man. Reginald never knew when it was enough and when pushing Four further and further towards his limits wouldn't be of any use.

Four, much unlike the rest of his siblings tended to shut down under constant pressure. He was developing in his own tempo. That was at least what Mom said. Four’s tempo was just not fast enough for the old man.

After he and Number One got dressed again, One left straight away probably to go find Three. those two were always in cahoots as much as Five and Seven were or Five, Six and Seven even. Four always seemed to be the odd one out for some reason, even though he was close to Six as well. Then again, he, Number Two, was close to Four as well, right? He should probably stay behind and wait for him. Four was his little brother, after all. He wanted to make sure that he was okay.

»Number Two!« Reginald’s voice never failed to make him flinch no matter what and he hated it. As he turned around, his father stood in the doorway of the locker room and behind him a trembling Number Four. His brother seemed small and exhausted and utterly unhappy with himself and his life. His lips were slightly blue and he must have been freezing. »What are you still doing here?«

»I-I w-wanted t-to wait f-f-f-or, Number Four, S-Sir.«

»Number Four is perfectly capable of getting changed by himself, Number Two. Go ahead and take care of your chores. I do believe Grace is already waiting for you in the kitchen. Your duty today is to help Grace prepare dinner - if I am not mistaken.« It was not a question or a request and Number Two was highly aware of it - as he was aware of the punishment he would receive if he wouldn't be obedient.

»Y-Yes, S-Sir.« He wanted to stay behind, wanted to wait for his brother and make sure that Klaus was not feeling as miserable as he looked but Four was avoiding his eyes as he just stared at the ground to his feet. In the end, Two had to cave and slowly retreat from the room. He felt horrible as he left his baby brother behind, though.

※※※※※※※

That night, Number Two didn't sleep. The house felt heavy around him as it was shifting in its sleep. It was strange. He felt as if there was something that he hadn't seen today, something he had missed. He hated that feeling more than anything else. How was he supposed to be a leader if he wasn’t aware of everything that was going on around him? How would he ever surpass Number One if he wasn’t attentive enough? Or was it even necessary? Had their roles been already set in stone by their numbers? No, he didn't believe that one bit. He could still become the leader of their group, right? He just needed to become better, train more and surpass Number One. Easy.

 _I wish it was this easy_ , Number Two thought and would have said it out loud if talking after lights-out wouldn't be strictly prohibited.

He could hear shuffling footsteps on the other side of his door. The sound was quiet, almost inaudible. It was barely as loud as a mouse scurrying across the tiles outside of his room. Number Four.  No one was as silent as Number Four. He was like a ghost sometimes. A small smile crossed his face as he scurried over to the side to make room in his bed. He could count down the seconds in his head until the door finally slipped open. It took Number four exactly five more seconds of shuffling outside his door before he finally cracked.

»Two?« His voice was barely a whisper and he would not have heard it if he would have slept. Instead of saying something, he just lifted his blanket and waited for his little brother. Four didn't disappoint him as he closed the door behind him and hurried over to his bed. It happened so often that they had this kind of routine. Four would either go to Six or to him. Tonight he came to him and Number Two was a little too happy about that. Not that there was any competition going on or something.

»Nightmares?« He whispered into the darkness of his room as Four slipped under the blanket beside him and snuggled up to him. Of course, talking was forbidden but right now, he couldn't care less. Four, unlike most of the rest of them, had absolutely no physical boundaries. He was very tactile and affectionate and when it came to Number Four, Number Two found that he didn't care.

Four shook his head just slightly and Two could feel his curls tickle under his chin as he scooted over even closer. Well, that was new. »I’ll never get better.« The sob came out of nowhere and tore on Two’s heartstrings right away. Number Four knew exactly how to play on his emotions. He had always known it but Two allowed it because he knew that there was no ill intent. Just a kid that was desperate for attention and the comfort only a sibling could provide.

For a brief moment, he was reminded of the easier days of their early childhood when neither one of them could walk properly. Four had still needed those thick round glasses and always bumped into the furniture on his wobbly little legs. Back then, Number Two had hardly been able to pronounce his brother’s name right. He had called him Flour instead of Four and even that had sounded more like ‘Flower’ coming out of his mouth. Certainly, their father had scolded Two for his improper pronunciation but he had kept it going. Number One had been Won and sometimes even Won-Won and poor Number Three had been Tree. Back then, everything had seemed so much more carefree and easy.

»What do you mean?«

»How to swim properly.« Four hiccuped and Number Two instinctively pulled him closer. Four once said that he gave good hugs and he was willing to deliver right now.

»Don't worry, Flower … You’ll get the hang of it soon. I promise.« Two mumbled quietly. Using his brother’s stupid little nickname came intentionally. It was meant to make him smile at least. These days, he was tempted to call him Bumblebee like Mom did but that nickname was reserved only for her, he thought then. »I can help you. You’ll see.«

He knew that it was a lie and Four knew this as well, of course. Their father would never allow something like this. Adapt or perish. That was what he believed in and if Four wasn't able to adapt and overcome his own shortcomings, he couldn't expect any help from their father.

※※※※※※※

Number Two was ready to pass out as he sat in the locker room with Five, Six and One. The girls had already been dismissed as their brothers waited for their father. All of them were shivering in the cold air of the locker room, not willing to show weakness in wrapping their wet bodies into their towels.

Six’s lips were blue and his teeth jittering and Two wanted nothing more than to tell him to get dry and dressed already. He couldn't stand seeing his brothers suffer. Five did a much better job at hiding how uncomfortable and cold he really was but he wrapped his arms just that much tighter around his chest and tried to make it look more casual than it actually was. Number One, of course, sat with a straight back next to him, his palms flat on his knees. He couldn't fool Two, though. He could see how cold he really was right now. His entire body betrayed him with the soft tremors that were running through him.

Two, on the other hand, was completely miserable. He was cold and exhausted and disappointed that he still couldn't do what his father had wanted him to do. That Luther too hadn’t succeeded yet provided only little comfort now. Four was still in the water by the sounds of it, still trying to swim the lengths of the pool. It took him a little by surprise as his father approached them from the open doorway of the locker room with Four still in the water. From his position, he couldn't see his brother in the pool, but he could hear the splashing of his frantic movements. To him, it seemed outright neglectful for his father to turn his back to Four in this situation.

»I am gravely disappointed in you, Number One and Number Two.« Reginald began his scolding right away and they had expected nothing less of the old man. Time was always of the essence and Sir Reginald Hargreeves never had even one minute to spare. Of course, he was disappointed. They were trying to get those rings from the bottom of the diving pool for two weeks now and simply couldn't provide.

»It is unacceptable that you made so little progress.« Their father’s gaze through his monocle was cold and hard like steel as always and Number Two could feel how Number One was shrinking in on himself a little more. One always took this so incredibly hard and personal. He knew that his brother would not sleep tonight because he hadn’t been able to perform on the level that their father demanded from him. One was so eager to please that Two was already certain that it would one day be his downfall. »Number Five and Number Six, you did well today but you have a long way ahead of you still. Number Six, you must overcome your fear of heights if you want to succeed.«

Five and Six had been introduced to the diving board today and it was an open secret that Six was terrified of heights. Poor little Number Six had hardly been able to jump from the springboard let alone the thirty-two feet tall one. Five hadn't had much trouble with it perse but more often than not his instincts had protected him from actually hitting the water and teleported him back into safety. Neither one of the girls seemed to have had much trouble with that, though. Number Seven had, in fact, surprised them all by her courage as she ran to the edge of the thirty-two feet tall diving board to jump down without any hesitation.  

Even One had been more nervous the first time around.

Number Two tried to listen to the splashing coming from the pool as their father continued stoically. »Number Two and Number One, if you won't succeed the next time, you will be subjected to individual training until you do succeed. Stamina and endurance are the most important traits for any-«

_Splash!_

Without thinking about it, Number Two jumped from his spot on the bench and he knew that it was a mistake but he also knew that there was something wrong with his brother. He had promised Number Four that he would help him to get better at this and now something was wrong. He could feel it in his guts.

»Number Two, I am not done yet! Sit back down until I allow you to get up! Otherwise, you will spend the entire night in here!«

»B-But, Four is-«

»Sit down!« Number One hissed silently next to him and tucked on his wrist. Two knew that his brother didn't want him to get punished but at the moment, he didn't care about any punishment as he broke free from One’s grip and instead ran past his father out of the locker room. There was no sign of Four in the water as he reached the pool. He couldn't see him where he should be. All he could see was a dark spot in the diving pool.

»Four!« He gasped alarmed and kept running on the slippery tiles. Now was certainly not the time to think about what his brother had tried to do but Two could tell that Four wanted to please as much as all of them. He probably tried to bring one of the rings up to the surface just to prove to their father that he was not as useless as he always claimed him to be.

He would drown. He would drown in there. He would drown and their father wouldn't do anything about it!

He jumped head first into the pool before he could think about it too much. All he could focus on right now was Number Four’s little body sinking to the ground of the pool like a stone. He didn't care if he would get punished for it. He wouldn't let his little brother drown. He hadn't even time to take a good long breath and deep down he knew that he wouldn't have a chance to get to his brother in time like this.

He didn't care about any of this. He just swam down, down, down, trying desperately to reach his brother before Four might drown in his misguided attempt of making their father proud. Number Two barely noticed how little effort it was to keep holding his breath, he barely noticed how quick he was. Minutes seemed to tick by endlessly as he swam down with his focus just on Number Four who seemed to be dragged down so unnaturally fast. He couldn't tell if Number Four was still conscious but he doubted it.

The ringing in his ears only grew worse and worse with every second as the pressure of the water around him started to almost get unbearable the deeper and deeper he swam down. Finally, he managed to grab Four’s right arm. At this moment, Number Two didn't even realize that he had already reached the bottom of the pool. Instead, he just slung the arm of his brother around his neck and began his ascent to the surface again. Four’s eyes were closed and he seemed completely lifeless as Two dragged him back up.

The only emotion that was holding his heart in a tight vice right now was fear. Bone-chilling, mind-numbing, complete and utter fear for his brother’s life. He couldn't lose Number Four. He was his best friend. How would he survive in this house without his bubbly brother?

He had no clue how long he had been under water but as his head breached the surface he let out a small gasp and found his brothers and his father's standing at the edge of the pool. Number One was quite pale as he stared at him and Six was absolutely terrified. Number Five, however, watched them with curious interest. He had always been a weird one. Always studying them, always observing. None of that seemed important though as Two pulled his brother closer to the edge.

»Help me!« He commanded and Number One sprung into action as he lifted their unconscious brother out of the water with ease. Their father didn't move a muscle as Two pulled himself out and neither as the brothers started to show what they have learned in their first aid class.

There was not much thinking involved now, only instincts kicking in as Number One placed the heel of his right hand on the center of Four’s chest right above his breastbone, put his other hand over his right hand and started the compressions. There wasn’t much thinking involved either, as Two tilted Four’s head back and, as One paused the massage, put his mouth over that of his brother to force air back into his lungs.

While Five and Six stood at the sidelines and watched with worry over their unconscious brother, their father just stood by with his arms crossed behind his back as if all of that didn't quite concern him at all. It probably didn't concern him that one of his seven children might die right here on the tiles after he had left him unsupervised. Losing Number Four would be a minor set back to him. He had been excited at first when Four had first shown his powers but then he had not seen any further use in him and lost interest for a while.  

And then, finally, just as Two wanted to push air into Four’s lungs for the fourth time, a gasp and then a cough. As Number Two jolted back, One quickly turned Four on his side and allowed him to cough up all the water he had swallowed. His brother’s green eyes were hazy and unfocused as he pried them open but at least they were open. He was breathing and alive and Two was exhausted and ready to pass out right then and there.

»I did it.« Number Four quietly muttered after an eternity had passed between the siblings. »I did it … I got the ring.«

He didn't quite realize what his brother meant until his eyes fell upon Four’s left hand. And truly, his brother held one of the rings from the bottom of the diving pool with a stupid little grin spreading over his chest. Diego breathed out a laugh at this and wanted to pass out right then and there. He slumped down on the tiles next to his brother, his back pressing into the cold tiles and a laugh bubbling out of his throat.

He had reached the bottom of the diving pool and holding his breath hadn’t been hard at all. He hadn't retrieved one of those rings but he had retrieved his brother. That was good enough, right? As he looked up at his father, he was almost certain that he could see a glimmer of pride in his emotionless eyes but the expression was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Instead, there was only mild curiosity left in his father’s face.

A pit opened in the depths of his stomach at this realization and yet he shifted his focus back onto his brother instead. His brother who was still alive by his side and who was looking at him as if he had hung the moon and the stars in the sky. Suddenly, Four’s admiration seemed more important than their father’s approval. Just for a moment, they were back in their nursery again, just the two of them with Four bumping into the furniture and him stacking up little building blocks. Everything was fine. Just for a moment, everything was fine.


End file.
